Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy and the Fourth Trimester

A few months ago I had a Physical Therapy student ask if she could interview me for a project she was working on. She was interested in Pelvic Health PT but didn’t know much about it. While they do have a class as part of their curriculum (taught by my amazing Pelvic Health mentor Brook Browning, PT) she hadn’t yet taken it. My passion for Pelvic Health is hard for me to keep bottled up, so I’m hoping she felt excited (instead of scared) to hear my thoughts!

Pelvic Health PT can be so helpful during pregnancy, to prepare for birth, and of course postpartum. We help with incontinence, pelvic pain, prolapse, diastasis abdominus (abdominal separation), constipation, fecal leaking, urgency of urine or stool, scar tissue, return to exercise, and SO MUCH MORE!!!

Here is the link to her article about how PT can be so helpful in the Fourth Trimester!!

You can also find it on my Facebook page or Instagram!

The First Poop. 

We all know what I’m talking about right? That first poop after you give birth. It’s terrifying. It’s horrifying. It makes you sweaty with fear and dread that you are going to poop out your insides or rip open every stitch they just put in you. Or was this just me??

Maybe that was a little too much information for you but I’m just being honest. I’m pretty sure I was more traumatized by the idea of pooping after I delivered my first baby than I was from the actual delivery. I was so scared, in fact, that I had the nurse come in multiple times and talk me off the ledge over it. She didn’t actually come into the bathroom with me while I did it or anything, but she had to give me some pep talks. And all the stool softener.

Reality was not as scary as my imagination. I took the stool softeners they gave me and tried to go as soon as I had the urge. I think I was still taking Tylenol so it didn’t hurt that much, but the anticipation was rough.

Had I been a practicing Pelvic Health PT back in the day, I would have been on my game and been psyched about my first poop. However, I knew nothing. If you aren’t sure what exactly that is, click here for more info. For tips on how to make this first poop less scary, read the rest of this blog right over here on my blog!

Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for more tips and info on all things Pelvic Health!

I absolutely love teaching my Birth Body class to pregnant moms in our area. It’s probably my favorite thing to teach because there is so much to learn about our bodies and traditionally, no one tells us a whole lot. I teach my classes from the perspective of a Pelvic Floor PT so it’s a little different from other birth classes out there. That doesn’t mean mine is the best or that you shouldn’t go to others. It just means that there is room for several as you prepare yourself for birth. I have had first time moms as well as moms with lots of experience come and learn a lot from this class. Because I’m a PT, we focus on things like how to prepare your core, pelvic floor, muscles, soft tissues for birth. We talk about labor and delivery positions and the evidence for why you’d want to use which (depending on your body, your pain, your goals). We talk about things you can work on immediately after delivery to start healing your body well regardless of how you give birth. Me, I’ve had a vaginal birth and a Cesarean birth and could have used this after both deliveries. For a little more insight into what I wish I’d know, check out my blog post about my Cesarean recovery here or find out a little about why we should ALL have PT in our lives during pregnancy and postpartum here.

If you, a friend, a coworker, a family member is expecting, please consider sharing this class with them if you are in the Fayetteville/Pinehurst/Southern Pines area! Our next class will be taught at Mamaste Fit in Southern Pines on Saturday, January 26th. For more information contact me at lacykells@fayettevillepelvichealth.com, check out our Facebook event, or head to the Mamaste website to register!

As always, check out our other PT services here, check out our blog here, or find lots of fun information posted daily on Instagram @lacykellspt and Facebook at Lacy Kells PT, DPT!

My good friend and colleague Ashley Chandler recently delivered her second son. For some, that means a little less anxiety after having gone through this whole thing once before. However, that doesn’t mean things are all peaches and cream. I asked her to make some videos about motherhood, postpartum, recovery and how all of this feels second time around. I gave her no direction at all to see what issues felt most important to her and the first thing she wanted to talk about was postpartum depression and anxiety.

Postpartum depression and anxiety are not things that we choose to suffer from. They are chemical and/or hormonal imbalances that can make us feel awful, sad, insane, angry, scared, worried, even suicidal. They aren’t things we can just sleep away (though sleep deprivation does play into these issues). They are legitimate problems that moms can suffer from in the postpartum period, and it’s not always recognized. Very often moms don’t realize they may be dealing with these issues until they are past them. And let’s be honest, that is no way to live out the early postpartum days. Below is the video she made describing her experience with depression and anxiety. To learn a little more and find out if you are at risk for postpartum depression or anxiety, check out https://lacykellspt.blogspot.com/2019/12/postpartum-anxiety-and-depression.html.

See my Blogspot post on sit to stands as way to get a quick dose of exercise for when you are stuck at your desk. go to my services pages to find one that works for you.

Don’t wait to come to see me! We have a variety of packages to help you throughout your pregnancy journey. See more on my Blogspot post and visit my Birth Wellness packages to see what is available.